Cisteller "Xarel-lo" Catalonia, Spain 2022

FROM LA LUZ SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: 100% Xarel·lo. All 3 blocks were hand harvested and vinified separately. All the fruit was whole-bunch pressed at very low pressure, followed by light racking. All 3 blocks were fermented separately, using stainless steel, concrete amphorae and 300 liter French and Hungarian oak barrels. All 3 wines were kept on fine lees throughout fall and winter, with different bâttonage regimes. The final blend was made in the spring, leaving the wine in tank for a few extra weeks before bottling.

THE PRODUCER: Husband and wife nerds Jessica and Sergi began envisioning what has become Cisteller in the early days of their romance when they first met and fell in love as lab partners at UC Davis in California, circa 2015. Upon completion of their studies they traveled the globe, together and individually, working 15 different harvests in both hemispheres under the tutelage of world class misfits and maestros of winemaking. They learned practical insight into reductive winemaking in New Zealand, how to handle wine gently in the Mosel, ways to soften tannins in the Priorat, and also spent time working with the astounding wines of Marchand Tawse in the Côtes de O’r in Burgundy made by inimitable winemaker Pascal Marchand. They returned to Sergi’s home in Subirats in 2019 to make their dreams come true.

Cisteller means “Basket Weaver” in Catalan. The striking Cisteller labels feature a traditional hand-painted mercantile which historically adorned trade shops doors to showcase their goods inside- a dedication to Sergi’s family of ancestral basket weavers from the fishing village near Barcelona where Sergi grew up. The 2 birds are symbols of Sergi and Jess returning home to the family’s estate.